Misinformation

Florida's 2026 midterm elections take place Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. statewide. Voters must present a current, valid photo ID with a signature; those without matching signatures need a secondary ID, and voters lacking acceptable ID or unverified registration may cast a provisional ballot, counted if documentation is supplied within two days. Mail-in ballots must reach election offices or drop boxes by 7 p.m. on Election Day, as postmarks no longer count. The registration deadline was Oct. 5.

In Ohio, voters cast ballots in a closely watched governor's race alongside all 99 state House seats and 17 state Senate seats; Cuyahoga County's 269 polling locations opened smoothly, with more than 1.73 million Ohioans having already voted early statewide. Georgia also held Election Day voting Nov. 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and anyone in line by closing guaranteed a ballot. Georgians chose a U.S. senator, all 14 U.S. House members, governor, and other statewide and local offices, with unofficial results expected after polls close.

More than two dozen Metro Detroit faith leaders gathered Oct. 21 at Gesu Jesuit Catholic Church for a "Vigil for Voting," blessing poll workers ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm amid heightened concerns over election safety. The event, organized by the Religious Leaders Forum of Metropolitan Detroit, aims to train poll chaplains who will offer support outside polling sites. A separate nonpartisan coalition, Faiths United in Saving Democracy, is training similar poll chaplains across Michigan and other battleground states.

Archbishop Edward Weisenburger cited fearmongering, misinformation, and past intimidation incidents, including a 2020 attempt to storm Detroit's ballot-counting center. The push follows Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers' proposal to deploy retired police as poll watchers in Detroit, which critics say echoes historic voter-intimidation tactics. Federal law bars voter intimidation and armed presence near polling places.

Florida lawmakers from both parties say Congress must act on artificial intelligence oversight, but the House has broken early ahead of the midterms, leaving the issue unresolved. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) criticized the early adjournment, calling for federal AI safety guardrails, including protections against deepfakes and misinformation. The House did pass her Ratepayer Protection Act, addressing data center impacts, before leaving.

Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) argued Congress should go further and repeal Section 230, which shields tech companies from liability, saying AI firms should face accountability similar to other adults responsible for children. He cited Florida State University's 2025 shooting, in which the suspect reportedly consulted ChatGPT before the attack, as evidence current liability protections leave no accountability. Republican leaders say their broader legislative agenda is stalled in the Senate and argue lawmakers are better served campaigning ahead of November. Democrats say the early exit delays urgent safety action, leaving AI regulation's fate dependent on the outcome of the midterm elections.

California lawmakers have sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill, AB 2222, that would create the nation's most ambitious state tax credit program for local news organizations. The measure would redirect revenue generated by conforming state tax law to a federal provision in Trump's tax legislation that eliminated corporate deductions for executive pay above $1 million. Newsrooms could receive an estimated $43 million in credits tied to journalists' wages, with tax credits ranging from $7,500 for part-time positions to $20,000 for full-time roles, plus bonuses for new hires. National outlets and partisan "pink slime" sites would be excluded.

The bill responds to a steep decline in local journalism: more than 12,000 California newsroom jobs have disappeared since 2002, and over 3,500 U.S. newspapers have closed, according to advocacy group Rebuild Local News. The McClatchy chain, which owns the Sacramento Bee, recently announced major layoffs. Newsom's finance department has opposed the bill, questioning its economic benefit, and the governor has not stated his position. Supporters argue the credits, though unable to reverse the industry's decline, would preserve local reporting jobs seen as vital to civic accountability and democracy.

A Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll of 600 likely Michigan voters, conducted by the Glengariff Group, found 64% oppose new data center construction, with only 19% support. Opposition crossed party lines, with strong Democrats most opposed (76%) but every subgroup showing majority disapproval. A 54% majority backed a one-year moratorium, though many opponents want an outright end rather than a pause. Michigan has 70 operational data centers, with more planned.

Similar tensions are playing out elsewhere. In Ohio, the Ohio Business Roundtable launched "Future Ready Ohio" to counter what it calls misinformation about data centers' water and electricity use, while Conserve Ohio has gathered over 130,000 signatures for a ballot measure banning hyperscale facilities. In Greensboro, North Carolina, city council held its first work session under a 180-day moratorium to examine data centers' water and wastewater impacts, with more sessions planned before the pause expires in February. The issue has become politically charged in Senate races: Michigan's Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed both back construction pauses, while Ohio's Sherrod Brown has targeted Sen. Jon Husted, complicating Republican messaging as Trump continues pushing for rapid data center expansion nationally.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro accused Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of contributing to two measles-related deaths in the state, saying rhetoric from Kennedy's agency has "real-life consequences" and reflects reliance on unvaccinated messaging over medical expertise. Kennedy pushed back, calling Shapiro's remarks "a replay of Democrats' COVID playbook," citing fearmongering and political exploitation of disease fears.

Pennsylvania's health department described the fatalities as "measles-associated deaths" rather than deaths caused directly by measles. One case involved a newborn whose Lancaster County coroner attributed death to a spleen laceration, though postmortem testing found a measles infection acquired before birth. Critics note infants are not eligible for MMR vaccination until 12 to 15 months old, raising questions about how the deaths were characterized in initial media coverage.

The dispute highlights ongoing tension between state officials and federal health leadership over messaging on vaccines and infectious disease, with each side accusing the other of misrepresenting facts for political advantage.

California lawmakers approved Assembly Bill 2222, which would create refundable tax credits for local news organizations based on the number of journalists they employ, sending it to Governor Gavin Newsom for a decision by September 30. Introduced by Assemblymember Christopher M. Ward, the bill offers a "job retention credit" of $20,000 per journalist for up to five positions and $15,000 for each additional one, plus a $15,000 bonus per new hire, with part-time roles receiving half-credits. The state tax board estimates it would provide more than $40 million annually to newsrooms, making it the largest such relief effort in the U.S. to date.

The bill would be funded by aligning California's tax code with a federal provision eliminating deductions for executive salaries over $1 million. It passed despite opposition from the California Taxpayers Association and California Chamber of Commerce, which object to raising taxes on employers, and Newsom's own finance office, which flagged the lack of a cap on credits. It is backed by the California News Publishers Association and Rebuild Local News amid a broader decline in local journalism jobs and advertising revenue.

Pennsylvania officials, led by Gov. Josh Shapiro, announced this week that two unvaccinated people in Lancaster County had died from measles, calling them the state's first measles deaths in more than 35 years. Officials withheld details about the victims, citing family privacy, while Shapiro publicly criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accusing him of spreading vaccine misinformation that he said carries "real-life consequences."

Subsequent reporting complicated the initial claims. One victim was reportedly a newborn who could not have been vaccinated, and Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni said the infant's cause of death was a ruptured spleen, not measles, though measles antibodies were detected postmortem. Diamantoni said no enlarged spleen — a rare but documented complication of measles — was found, and further analysis is pending. The discrepancy has fueled criticism of how officials characterized the deaths and drawn political scrutiny over the handling of public health messaging amid ongoing measles outbreaks.